Scipio the Matchmaker

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores why Livy chose to shape Scipio Africanus' encounter with the Spanish maiden in Book 26 as a positive variant on the Lucretia narrative. Where the rape of Lucretia triggers the overthrow of the monarchy, Scipio's restrained behaviour towards the Spanish maiden leads to local alliances and military support. Comparison with Polybius illuminates Livy's emphasis on the connection between abstinence and diplomatic success. Further, the revisiting and amplification of the episode when Scipio rebukes Masinissa for trying to protect Sophoniba show the centrality of this theme to Livy's conception of Scipio. The chapter then uses the trials of the Scipios to consider the similarities and differences between Scipio and 1st-century warlords, and argues that Scipio's failure to capitalize on his extra-constitutional status distinguishes him from Marius, Sulla, Pompey, and Caesar, and explains his value for a reversal of Lucretia's story.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 23 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.